Association of nutrition knowledge, practice, supplement use and nutrient intake with athletic performance among Taekwondo players in Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Adequate knowledge on nutrition and dietary intake are important to enhance the athletic performance. When athletes’ nutrition requirements are not met, they are more likely to be exhausted compromising athletic performance. The main objective of this study was to measure the association of nutritional knowledge, practice, supplement use, and nutrient intake with athletic performance among Nepalese Taekwondo (TKD) players. Methodology: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study among 293 Taekwondo players of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, between August 2019 and January 2020. A two-stage cluster random sampling technique was used to select respondents for this study. Face-to-face interviews were carried out using semi-structured questionnaires. Nutrition knowledge (NK), nutrition practice (NP), supplement use, nutrient intake using 24-hour dietary recall, and anthropometric measurements were taken. A handgrip dynamometer was used to assess the handgrip strength (HGS) as an indirect measure of athletic performance. Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to find out the association of predictor and outcome variables. Data were analyzed using Stata/MP version 14.1.Results: Out of 293 participants, more than half (56.3% and 55.6%) had poor nutrition knowledge and nutrition practice scores, respectively. Total energy (2368 Kcal), carbohydrate (430.5 gm), protein (79.5 gm ), fat (71.2 gm), calcium (416 mg), and iron (7 mg) intake among TKD players were significantly lower than the corresponding Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for athletes. Nutritional knowledge score (r=0.117, p<0.045), height (r=0.538, p<0.001), weight (r=0.651, p<0.001), BMI (r=0.347, p<0.001), fat (r=0.075, p<0.002), and energy (r=0.127, p<0.029) intake showed significant positive correlation with handgrip strength of athletes. The athletic performance were positively associated with training hours per day (β=0.41, 95% CI: 0.09-0.91), BMI (β=0.35, 95% CI: 0.09-0.61), NK score (β=0.13, 95% CI: 0.01-0.25), and energy intake (β=0.13, 95% CI: 0.12=0.14).Conclusions: The results suggest that nutritional knowledge and nutrient intake both were poor among TKD athletes. Height, weight, BMI, nutritional knowledge, energy, and fat intake showed positive correlation with athletic performance. Future studies can build on the premise of this study to identify the robust relationship between nutritional knowledge, practice, different supplement use, and nutrient intake among athletes.

Nutritional Knowledge and Ergogenic Aid Using Status of Competitive and Recreational Cyclists

“…In another study, 56.3% of the competitive athletes had poor nutritional knowledge-NK, and 55.6% of them had poor nutrition practice-NP scores. At the same time, it was found that 7.2% of the participants used ergogenic nutritional aids and preferred protein powder mostly (Sunuwar et al, 2021). In the current study, low scores on the sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire, which were answered by the individuals who used ergogenic aids, showed that the athletes use ergogenic supplements haphazardly (Table 4).…”